On his Instagram account, the Japanese judoka spoke of his dismay after Japan’s defeat in the team final which took place this Saturday, August 3. The latter had then faced Teddy Riner twice.
This Saturday, August 3, France was once again crowned Olympic champion in the judo team final against Japan.
A defeat that the Japanese team experienced as a humiliation and more particularly Tatsuru Saitoa judoka in the +90 kg category who, during this final, faced twice Teddy Rinerwithout managing to bring it to the ground.
I obviously don’t speak Japanese and am not an expert on Japanese society, but the translation of Tatsuru Saito’s latest story is heartbreaking ud83dudc94.
It is often mentioned that Japanese defeats in judo are experienced as humiliations… We have… pic.twitter.com/EsrAYw6zNV
— Christophe Lemaire (@ch_lemaire) August 4, 2024
Visibly consumed by dismay, the latter left a moving message on his Instagram account in which he apologizes. “I feel really pathetic and disappointed in myself”he wrote. He added: “I have read all the messages of support and words of encouragement. I have nothing but gratitude.”
Finally, the athlete assures that pour the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028he will bring back “definitely two gold medals in Japan.” During the medal ceremony, the latter also received a standing ovation from the audience for his performance against the Olympic champion Teddy Riner.
